The first thing most of us do in the mornings and the last thing we do at night is flip a switch. Yet, we very rarely put much thought into how much this modern convenience improves our lives. With the flip of a switch we can eat, read, walk to the bathroom at night and put to rest our fears if we hear a strange noise. For 36 children in Rajamundry, India, this is something they’ll be able to have for the very first time. And some added bonuses? It will be through the sustainable energy of solar power, so it won’t negatively impact the environment. Additionally, since the home doesn’t have electricity, they can save the money they would be spending on having traditional electricity installed and on those monthly electrical bills. And those savings can get passed onto providing the children with the best care, access to nutrition and educational needs.

The exterior of the children’s home.

This year, we were fortunate enough to visit India and the LAMP home for the second time, where these kids live. One thing we realized is that the home was in need of some repairs, which they could not afford. One of the things they needed was to have their roof reinforced. The good news is that the roof construction is now complete, thanks to a private donor working with Kitechild. The roof is now strong enough to support the solar lighting installation, which means that the children will now have a better roof to live under, as well as electricity.

Construction is underway at the LAMP home.

The lighting installation consists of a total of six lights- three indoor and three outdoor lights. The indoor lights ensure that the kids will be able to do schoolwork during the evenings, which will improve their learning and potential performance in school. We all know how important education is to future opportunities, and the indoor lights can be a stepping stone to helping these children break the cycle of poverty. The outdoor lights are also really important, as they will keep the home safe and secure after the sun sets. The home is located in the northeast jungle of Andra Pradesh, near Rajahmundry. The area around the home has snakes and other potential hazards, so the safety of the children will improve with the outdoor lights and will help to eliminate injuries by improving visibility.

One of the children living at the home.

Here’s a little background on this home, as there are often misconceptions and misinformation about children’s homes. 36 children reside at the home, 20 of whom are true orphans, in the sense that they have no parents to care for them. The other sixteen are children whose families are living with extreme poverty, which makes it difficult for them to provide for their children. Through the home, the children have three meals everyday, are able to attend school and are under the care of long-term caretakers, who live with them at the LAMP home. The families of these children visit them whenever they are able. We’re hoping through this solar light project that these children will be one step closer to rising above poverty and will one do be able to provide for themselves and their families.

There’s a new app that is addressing an issue that is prevalent around the world and central to our work: ‪#‎hunger‬. Companies can use the Copia app, and if they had an event, for instance, the leftover food would be picked up and donated to a food pantry or homeless shelter. Our current greenhouse project in Kenya is also attempting to address this problem, by growing fresh produce for the children of St. Catherine’s Home: http://goo.gl/ahdROZ

While we work all over the world, even in America 1 in 6 people live in food insecure homes. Copia has already helped 700,000 people by delivering to them 800,000 pounds of food. Read more about Copia’s tech-forward program: http://goo.gl/d6GxRt

The holidays are over, but it’s never too late to #GiveGood to vulnerable children. We need your support to make our greenhouse project at St. Catherine’s Home a reality. The greenhouses grow produce, which the children eat. The remaining vegetables are sold in the market, where the profits cover the education of the older kids, as well as fund a social worker to help reintegrate them back into the community. #GiveGood today: goo.gl/B6UOlz

Happy Friday! We couldn’t help but LOL at this image, is this what’s next for our children?! ?This weekend, we challenge you to disconnect and literally, go fly a kite! Put the phone and iPad (and selfie stick!) down and get involved in your community! #lol #funny #kites #selfie #seliestick #technology #oldschool #connected #digitalera #happyfriday #getinvolved #giveback #community #volunteer

We’re excited to introduce a new series of photos from the eyes of our children! We left one of our cameras at the Arias Home of Hope located in Acharapakkam, India. For the next few weeks you will be able to experience the beauty life has to offer from their perspective. All the children of the Arias Home are HIV/AIDS positive, but they continue to inspire us everyday with their courage. #LittleLens #hopeworldwide #India #smile #inspire #inspiration #positivity #community

#TBT! Check out this video from our first little fundraiser we did back in 2010! We all have to start somewhere, and this is a great example of the ways YOU can be a Kitechild ambassador – hosting small get togethers in the community, donating a birthday, etc. are all great ideas! To get started, email ambassador@kitechild.org; we’d love to collaborate on some great ways to get involved and give back!

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Kitechild operates in developing countries under a sustainable empowerment model, partnering with communities and families in order to empower at-risk children and enable them to thrive. Funding and donor support is channeled directly into distinct projects that can include greenhouses, farms, renewable energy and similar efforts that encourage self-sufficiency and enrich the community at large. We meet our goal of helping each at-risk child reach his/her full potential and lead a dignified life, by providing access to education, quality nutrition, social support, and re-integration with family when possible.